Yellowknife (July 19/06) - New self-checkouts at Wal-Mart are being hailed by customers as fast and efficient.

Wal-Mart installed the three new checkouts at the beginning of June and are being tried out by curious customers.

Even kids can do this! For Shea Ailles, front, and Christine Dunbar, back, the self-checkout machines at Wal-Mart are a breeze. - Emily Watkins/NNSL photo

"This was my first time using the self checkout," Dayl Hein says.

"It's easy and time saving, even for a guy like me who has never done any sort of cashiering."

Hein says that the only difficulty he had was finding the bar code on the item to scan, but says that he will definitely use it again.

The self-checkout machines are even used by kids.

Shea Ailles and Christine Dunbar easily figured out the machine, even more quickly than most adults. "It was my second time and her (Christine's) first," Ailles says. "It's simple to use and it's good instead of waiting in a long line."

The machines were late because they could not get through in time for the breakup.

Vince Berezowski, Wal-Mart store manager says that the machines have not been brought in to replace cashiers, but to assist in the checkout process.

"We are still hiring the same amount of cashiers," Berezowski says.

"But any store like ours that has trouble finding employees or keeping people, it helps in case there aren't enough people to work."

The machines have detailed voice instructions that appear on the screen, as well as a computerized voice to prompt the customer.

The customer then follows the voice prompts and scans their items and places them into the bags provided.

The only drawbacks are that the machines are only intended for smaller items and will only let the customer fill two bags before a red light goes off and an employee has to be present to override the error.

"An employee is always there to watch over the machines," Berezowski says. "There are no hand scanners for larger items, no keypads to punch in coupons without a code and to disengage security tags, the customer has to go to a till."

For these reasons he says, they work the best for those who only have one or two smaller items and don't want to wait in line for people with full carts.

"It seems to be a bit of a novelty," Berezowski says.

"There are times when there are long line ups in front of the self checkouts and none in front of the cashiers. I think it is because they are new."